Strong prices seen for works by Lichtenstein, Calder, Baer, Goldstein and Picasso in May 24 auction in Dallas.

A prime late period work by Bauhaus master Josef Albers, Study for Homage to the Square: Stucco Setting, 1958, brought $262,900 as the top lot in Heritage Auctions’ $1,552,954 Signature® Modern & Contemporary Art Auction, providing the principal fireworks in an auction that saw strong prices realized across the board for a wide array of 20th century masters. All prices include 19.5% Buyer’s Premium.

More than 425 (U.S. and international) bidders vied for the 157 auction lots.

“The strong price on the Albers painting was indicative of the continued demand for works of this level that we are continuing to see from collectors,” said Frank Hettig, Director of Modern & Contemporary Art at Heritage. “This proved especially true as it concerned mid-century American Modern painters, with a majority of examples exceeding pre-auction estimates.”

A rare early work by Pop Artist Roy Lichtenstein, The assimiboins attacking a blackfoot village at fort mckenzies - 28 august 1833, circa 1951, was the subject of several rounds of spirited bidding, rising to $95,600 before the smoke cleared, almost four times its pre-auction estimate of $25,000+.

One of the most interesting surprises of the auction came in the form of American Minimalist Jo Baer’s Untitled (Double Bar Orange), 1972, which brought $83,650 – doubling its $40,000+ pre-auction estimate – as several determined bidders sought it out. Alexander Calder also showed his enduring popularity as a pair of his paintings, Vertical Loops, 1968, and Dream Figments, 1964, both came in well above their pre-auction estimates, bringing $83,650 and $65,725 respectively.

Further highlights include, but certainly are not limited to:

Karel Appel, Untitled Composition, 1983: Realized: $59,750.

Henry Moret, Femme à la barrière, c. 1910: Realized: $59,750.

Bernar Venet, Two Indeterminate Lines, 2004: Realized: $56,763.

Jack Goldstein, Untitled, 1989/1992: Realized: $44,813.

Pablo Picasso, Nature morte à la pastèque, 1962: Realized: $41,825.

Heritage Auctions, headed by Steve Ivy, Jim Halperin and Greg Rohan, is the world’s third largest auction house, with annual sales more than $700 million, and 600,000+ online bidder members. For more information about Heritage Auctions, and to join and gain access to a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit HA.com.